Equipment Break-in: Fact or Fiction

As I noted in a parallel thread a few days ago, the rationale for burn-in of speakers is perfectly obvious from a material sciences perspective. It is not too farfetched to hypothesize that something similar might happen at a micro level in the circuitry. Alas, this is the point at which the objectivists suggest ABX comparisons and the subjectivists scream in rage and leave the room so we mostly don't really know.

Now, when people start telling me that the CDs, themselves, sound different after a few plays I find my eyes rolling involuntarily.

YMMV, of course.

will

I am constantly amused with the perception out in audioland that the Audiophile community is more about delusion and illusion than the pursuit of the absolute sound.

Why it is difficult for people to accept that components, cables, and speakers do need burn in time actually shocks me.

Granted I have a much greater opportunity to listen to different pieces of audio gear than most being a dealer but I have never heard a piece of audio gear that has not changed some over time.

One of the reasons that sometimes systems do not sound that good at shows is because very often what you are listening to is all brand new stuff fresh out of the box. All manufactures and dealers do not always get a chance to burn things in because they are being loaned product and can do nothing till they receive it - - very often at the last moment. Granted the rooms are also a factor but if it was all just the room certain rooms would not always sound good versus others. Those that sound good are manufactures that have all that they are showing months in advance and have had it playing before coming to the show.

Caps, resistors, diodes, all the wiring, drivers, tweeters, crossovers, tubes all take time to burn in and settle. If this was not the case some manufactures would not spend the time and money to burn in the product for a while before shipping.

I believe that one of the reasons so much product is sold and resold is because the consumer has never heard what it can actually sound like. Hell when you sell a totally burned in piece of audio gear and ship it to someone it is still going to take a few days to settle back and sound as it did.

I am sure many of you have been able to smell a change in the room as certain components burn in. If things are cooking in and you can smell it why would you not believe that you can hear it?

Think back over the years. 20 years ago the myth was that cables made no difference. Well accepted now. Then that cones, or carbon fiber, aurios whatever could affect the sound of your system. Now accepted. Recently that powercords could not matter because you were running such cheap wire in the walls. Now accepted. Then that better wall outlets could not have any effect. Now accepted. At one time their were critics of cryogenically treating products although it has been used in other industries for years. Be grateful that there are people out there willing to go beyong the skeptics that never want to believe anything and take the risks to try new things.

I do not know of a single manufacture who does not consider break in as important to their product. Could they all be wrong? I guess it is possible. There are numerous that after years of not believing are now advocates of powercords.

So it is obvious that no one has all the answers. So you are only left with your senses, and maybe most important with Faith in the belief that we live in a magical world and that all things do not have to fit in with our conceptual constructs of the universe.

As I tell my customers, "if they cannot tell the difference between cables accept it as a blessing you just saved a lot of money."

When I bought my last amp I kept my other amp for a while so I would have something to compare with. The new amp sounded so different after about a month anyone could hear the change. Sloppy bass had tightened up and closed in highs opened up. This was with my other amp that was very good in both respects a four cable swap away. Im sure its not my imagination, my wife heard the change and she dosnt mind telling me when something does not sound good. In my system this -was- a silk purse from a sows ear. I could also hear a big change when I broke in my Totem Ones.
I dont know about cable break in. If it happens its too subtle for me, but these changes were obvious to me and my wife.

I tend to agree with Stehno but I also agree that my speakers did indeed change during the first 300 hours or so. I am somewhat confused about what is really happening, even as an electrical engineer doing circuit design. I don't know much about voice coils but about transistors and wires, I feel rather confidant and I cannot think of exactly what parameters are changing. The Si doping has most of the influence over a devices character and it does not change with time (but does with device temp - hence why I agree with Stehno). On the other hand, dealers are always telling me that burn-in is critical but everything they have me audition has barely 2 hours on it. If burn-in for circuits is true then I cannot believe what I hear at the dealer. Catch 22 - oh well.

HEAR US NOW AND BELIEVE US LATER!! -Hans & Franz.

Truer words were never spoken. Equipment break-in is real. Apparenly your ears and mind haven't fully broken-in yet. ;-) Otherwise you would have never posted the question.